Technical Performance
Starting from the positives, the 7Hz Legato possesses a good soundstage, where you have good width and depth for the price. The depth is the most impressive part, however, as it reproduces a deep stage for this level.
Additionally, the imaging capabilities are good, and the separation is fairly nice. The mid-bass focus and intensity cloud that quality a bit, so it could’ve been better. The transparency and resolution, because of the dark and veiled nature of the IEM, are not very impressive. The Legato desperately needs some clarity and air, especially in the treble region, where you can’t quite get the sparkle and extension.
The mid-range has good texture and tonality, and the instrument body and realism are strong, but those qualities are quite apparent only when there’s not much bass in the recording. As soon as the bass kicks in, the focus shifts to the intensity and boldness of the mid-bass region. You can always use an EQ to reduce the bass of course, depending on your source device.
Overall the technicalities are very good, and I’m mostly impressed by the staging performance. Driving the Legato is very easy, any player or DAC/Amp would do the trick without problems.
Comparisons
With an identical asking price, the Moondrop Stellaris is another IEM that claims great value for money. They both offer good packaging with nice accessories, and they both have good builds and good enough fit. Yet, I think the Stellaris has a more impressive build quality, whilst the Legato has a better fit and isolation. I think the cable in the Moondrop is better though.
For sound, these two couldn’t be more different. The Stellaris has a planar design, so the tuning and the approach are totally unique and drastically different than the Legato. The Stellaris is an incredibly flat-sounding IEM, to the extent that when I first tested it, I thought I got the fit wrong or something was up with the cable or the ear tips.
The Legato has much, much more bass quantity and bass focus. It has much more body and weight in the mid-range too. Although the Stellaris feels a bit synthetic and unnatural with too much flatness, the Legato also feels a bit awkward with too much mid-bass focus and dark tonality. So these two are the polar opposites.
The Stellaris has more clarity and resolution though, which makes it better for genres that don’t need to have much mid-bass body, but when it comes to Pop and RnB for instance, the Legato shines more, with much more enjoyment. So if you have 100 bucks to spend on one of these two, choose depending on your favorite music.
Idun Golden is one of my favorite entry-level hybrid IEMs. Sure, it costs $60 more, but if you have a flexible budget below 200$, it still is a very good option. It has a good unboxing experience for the price, just like the Legato. The build quality of the Legato is slightly better, with more impressive with a full aluminum finish. Yet, the IDUN fits more comfortably.
Sound-wise the IDUN Golden is more coherent, balanced, natural, and layered. The sound has better clarity, timbre, and bass control. The Legato has a bold bass approach which is more fun. It also has a more textured sound with more weight and liquidness. If I look at it purely from a technical standpoint, the IDUN Golden is certainly impressive. But again, when it comes down to having fun, the Legato is very nice. Yet, in tonality, balance, coherency, and realistic presentation, I find the Idun Golden better.
Conclusion
The 7Hz Legato offers good packaging, good build & design, and a very fun sound for the price. The dual dynamic driver setup brings great lows for bass heads, a natural tonality, and a spacious staging that feels wide and deep.
You also get a soft and creamy presentation, which lacks the treble energy but from another perspective, a relaxing and smooth approach. There are some areas that can definitely be improved. The bass quality could be better, the treble could have more sparkle and extension, and the mid-range could be more resolving.
In that sense, the Legato can become something more for this bang-for-buck market, if they can accomplish those aspects.
Page 1: About, Packaging, Design, Build, Fit
Page 2: Sound Quality
